How to Use SAM.gov to Find Federal Contract Opportunities

Who This SAM.gov Guide Is For (Small Business Government Contractors)

This guide is for small business government contractors who need a clear, step-by-step way to find federal contract opportunities on SAM.gov. It is designed for owners, business development professionals, and capture teams who want a repeatable, data-driven research process that reliably identifies real opportunities and reduces wasted effort.

Whether you are brand new to SAM.gov or looking to strengthen your current approach, this guide shows how to use the platform strategically to build a predictable pipeline.

Quick Start: How to Use SAM.gov to Find Federal Contract Opportunities

1. Register and verify your SAM.gov profile.
2. Use FPDS first to identify agencies already buying what you sell.
3. Search SAM.gov daily using filters for agency, NAICS, PSC, keywords, and recent updates.
4. Use saved searches—not email notifications—to track new activity.
5. Prioritize early notices (RFIs, Sources Sought) to get involved sooner.
6. Review awarded and inactive opportunities to identify competitors and future recompetes.
7. Match every opportunity to your company’s core capability using a Requirements Gap Analysis.

Bonus SAM.gov Training: Watch the Full Step-by-Step Webinar

This extra training provides a clear, tactical process for small business government contractors for using SAM.gov as a powerful sales tool. Master the free GovCon sales tools and create recurring customized searches for your target agencies
“Learn to Use SAM.gov for Strategic Search of Contract Opportunities ”

Use this guide as a companion while you watch the training. Take the time to experiment and implement each recommended step. This will help you build a repeatable SAM.gov research process for your company.

Which SAM.gov Contract Opportunities Should My Small Business Pursue?

Some people say "if a contract opportunity is listed in SAM.gov, you’re already too late.”

Don't worry! SAM.gov has so much more to offer than contract listings.

SAM.gov can help you:

• Identify new and upcoming work
• Understand which agencies need your services
• Find early-stage notices before solicitations are released
• Review the associated Statement of Work (SOW) and Performance Work Statement (PWS) documents to understand the government terminology
• Track competitors and find future recompetes
• Identify program offices and contracting shops
• Build relationships with buyers
• Strengthen your capture and BD process

SAM.gov is a powerful research platform that supports repeatable, predictable pipeline development.

Which Contract Opportunities Should My Business Pursue?

Pursue opportunities that strongly match your company’s core capabilities and past performance.

You'll know the opportunity is a good fit for your company, if it–

1. Aligns with your company’s proven technical strengths
2. Fits your primary NAICS codes and related past performance
3. Contains major task areas you can credibly deliver
4. Matches the type of work customers already trust you to perform

Avoid opportunities where you are only competitive on one or two minor tasks or where past performance does not align.

When Should My Company Prime a SAM.gov Opportunity vs. Subcontract?

You should ONLY try to prime when your company can:

• Perform at least 60% of the work
• Can demonstrate 3–5 strong past-performance examples aligned to major tasks
• Meet all technical, staffing, and management requirements
• Deliver without excessive reliance on teaming partners

If you cannot deliver on these conditions, you should either pursue the work as a subcontractor or disqualify it from your pipeline.

How to Search SAM.gov for the Right Federal Contract Opportunities

1. Understand government terminology. Use the terms described in the PWS, not only industry jargon.
2. Filter with your primary NAICS codes first. Add related NAICS and PSC codes aligned to your past performance.
3. Select target agencies and sub-agencies. Focus on the agencies that are most likely to buy what you sell.
4. Choose your notice types:
   • Sources Sought / RFIs
   • Presolicitations
   • Solicitations (RFQs/RFPs)
   • Awards
   • Combined Synopsis/Solicitations
5. Sort the results by “Active” and “Updated.” Look for fresh activity.
6. Filter by updates in the last 1–2 days. This makes a daily review efficient.
7. Open “More Filters.” Turn on all filters to refine by set-asides, type of competition, place of performance, contracting office, vehicles, and initiatives.

What Are the Most Important Data Points Inside a SAM.gov Opportunity Notice?

When you open a record, look for these core elements:

1. Points of Contact (POCs): contracting and program representatives.
2. Program Office: where the business need originates.
3. Contract Office: the shop that executes the purchase, often for multiple internal customers.
4. Interested Vendors List: teaming and competitor insight.
5. Government terminology in PWS/SOW documents: the language you should mirror in your marketing and proposals.
6. NAICS and PSC codes: used to refine future searches and FPDS research.
7. Attachments (especially PWS/SOW): where the requirement is fully described.

How to Use SAM.gov to Track Competitors and Future Recompetes

SAM.gov offers a wealth of data on potential teaming partners and subcontracting opportunities. Here's how to find updated information.

1. Identify recent winners
2. Pull UEI numbers for deeper research
3. Find other agencies buying similar services
4. Track aging requirements and expected recompetes
5. Build pipeline forecasts based on historical buying patterns

Use the Inactive filter to find expired solicitations — these are often future recompetes that belong in your early pipeline.

Common SAM.gov Mistakes Small Business Contractors Make (and What to Do Instead)

Most small business government contractors get frustrated with SAM.gov and think the tool is “too hard.” They waste priceless time and energy because they don't know how to understand the federal government sales process.

Here are a few of the most common SAM.gov mistakes and how to fix them.

1. Treating SAM.gov as an inbox instead of a research tool

Mistake: Emails get buried in your inbox and you miss opportunities to compete.

Better strategy: Create custom saved searches to save time. Check SAM.gov daily to review “Updated in the last 1–2 days.” This keeps you proactive and focused on the opportunities that matter most to your company.

2. Chasing every opportunity you see instead of focusing on your core capability

Mistake: Overestimating your team's ability to perform a contract to government standards.

Better strategy: Determine your chances by performing a Requirements Gap Analysis (RGA) on each opportunity to score each task area. This will hlep you make better bid/no bid decisions and keep your pipeline clean.

3. Ignoring awarded and inactive opportunities

Mistake: Only looking at “Active” opportunities and skipping “Inactive” or “Awarded” records.

Better strategy: Use inactive and awarded contracts to:

• Identify competitors and teaming partners
• Find contracting and program offices who already buy what you sell
• Spot likely future recompetes and build your early pipeline

4. Skimming the notice and ignoring the detailed PWS/SOW attachments

Mistake: Reading only the short description on the main SAM.gov page and never opening the attachments.

Better strategy: Download the PWS, SOW, or SOO and pay close attention to:

• The specific task areas and responsibilities
• The government’s terminology and performance metrics
• How the requirement aligns (or does not align) with your past performance

Use this language to improve your LinkedIn profiles, capability statement, and website so they reflect how agencies describe the work you perform.

5. Searching with only one NAICS code or the wrong codes

Mistake: Searching SAM.gov using a single NAICS code that does not fully reflect how agencies buy your services.

Better strategy: Identify the NAICS and PSC codes

• Prioritize searches using those codes
• Refine your saved searches to match how the government already buys
• Align your SAM.gov registration and DSBS profile to those codes

6. Ignoring the “Interested Vendors” list

Mistake: Overlooking the Interested Vendors section at the bottom of many SAM.gov notices.

Better strategy: Use the Interested Vendors list to:

• Find potential teaming partners
• Identify firms already tracking the same opportunity
• Reach out with a clear value proposition based on your strengths in the requirement

7. Not building a daily SAM.gov habit

Mistake: Logging in sporadically, then trying to catch up by scrolling through pages of mixed, outdated results.

Better strategy: Spend 15–30 minutes each business day reviewing saved searches, active opportunities, and targeted awards. This rhythm gives you:

• Consistent visibility into new requirements
• Early awareness of opportunities that fit your core capability
• A stronger, more predictable federal sales pipeline

Requirements Gap Analysis (RGA): Match SAM.gov Opportunities to Your Core Capability

Step 1 — Extract Tasks from the PWS/SOW

List each task area clearly.

Step 2 — Rate Your Capability to Execute the Tasks (1–5)

• 5 = Exceptional strength
• 4 = Strong capability
• 3 = Solid but not dominant
• 2 = Weak
• 1 = Minimal experience

Step 3 — Compare the Opportunity to Your Company’s Past Performance

Identify at least three aligned projects per major task area. If you cannot do this, the opportunity is probably not a strong competitive fit.

How to Decide: Should We Try to Prime / Sub or Make a No-Bid Decision

• Prime: You can deliver at least 60% of the requirement.
• Sub: You are strong only in limited task areas that support a prime.
• No-Bid: The tasks do not match your core capability or you lack aligned past performance.

Training resource:
How to Use a Requirements Gap Analysis (RGA) to Win More Government Contracts

How Much Time Should I Spend on SAM.gov Each Day?

We recommend you spend at least an hour in the beginning to set up filters and reminders and to create your process.
Once your process is established, dedicate at least 15–30 minutes every day on SAM.gov. Watch for daily updates to identify for contract opportunities for your pipeline.
When you follow this method, you will build a repeatable, data-driven federal pipeline aligned to your company’s strengths – and stop chasing random opportunities.

• Spot buying patterns
• Recognize relevant opportunities faster
• Build relationships with buyers
• Improve your competitive posture
• Increase visibility across federal agencies

Intentional daily activity compounds over time.

SAM.gov FAQ for Small Business Government Contractors

About the Author: Neil McDonnell

Neil McDonnell is the President of GovCon Chamber and founder of CallPlan.ai (an exciting new SaaS product helping small business government contractors have more effective sales conversations with federal buyers).

As a federal sales expert and experienced technology government contractor, Neil has personally presented over 700 daily LinkedIn live federal sales trainings since 2018 and publishes the largest weekly GovCon newsletter with over 28,000 subscribers.

With his signature energy, clarity, and passion, Neil is widely respected as a trusted voice for small business government contractors in the federal market.

Small business government contractors– especially 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB and veteran-owned small business – trust Neil to show them HOW to build relationships that lead to federal government contracts and subcontracts.